Crapemyrtle plant named ‘CREC-0001’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of  Lagerstroemia  crapemyrtle plant named ‘CREC-0001’, characterized by its medium to dark purple color flowers and medium to large growth habit.

STATEMENT OF GOVERNMENT SUPPORT

This invention was made with government support under 58-6404-0-014awarded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural ResearchService. The government may have certain rights in the invention.

Botanical classification: Lagerstroemia: L. indica×L. fauriei×L. limii.‘Tonto’×L. indica ‘Catawba’.

Cultivar denomination: Crapemyrtle ‘CREC-0001’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of theornamental flowering shrub and landscape plant of the genusLagerstroemia, commonly known as crapemyrtle, of the family Lythraceae,and is referred to hereinafter by its cultivar denomination ‘CREC-0001’.This novel plant is an asexually propagated hybrid of crapemyrtle thatwas selected in 2008 from approximately 2800 crosses. The female seedparent is Lagerstroemia indica×L. fauriei ‘Tonto’ (unpatented). The malepollen parent is Lagerstroemia indica ‘Catawba’ (unpatented).‘CREC-0001’ was selected for its unique medium to dark purple flowercolor and medium to large growth habit. The designation ‘CREC-0001’ wasevaluated under the experimental number ‘2008-0001’ and experimentalname ‘CREC-0001’. This high quality novel and distinct cultivar ofcrapemyrtle plant was vegetatively propagated in Poplarville, Miss.using vegetative medial cuttings, as opposed to tip cuttings, taken fromsemi-hard, current season's growth. Stem diameters were approximately ⅛to ¼ inch. Each of several generations of cuttings has produced stableplants identical to the original seedling plant.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The new cultivar is a Lagerstroemia hybrid resulting from the cross ofLagerstroemia: L. indica×L. fauriei×L. limii ‘Tonto’ (female parent)×L.indica ‘Catawba’ (male parent). ‘CREC-0001’ is a distinctive, newcultivar of crapemyrtle plant characterized by its medium to dark purpleflower color and medium to large crapemyrtle growth habit. The traits ofthe new plant are continually maintained when propagated asexually. Thisnew cultivar may vary slightly with changes in location, temperature,light, and other environmental conditions, but the genotype will not beaffected. ‘CREC-0001’ also exhibits the quality and characteristic ofadaptability to all areas of hardiness zones 7-10, based on observedtemperatures at the growing locations compared to the USDA HardinessZone map. ‘CREC-0001’ is much taller than its female parent ‘Tonto’ andits male parent ‘Catawba’. ‘Tonto’ is a large shrub ranging from 5 to 10feet in height. ‘Tonto’ has red to fuchsia flowers and maroon fallcolor. ‘Catawba’, the male pollen parent, is a small-sized crapemyrtleaveraging 8 to 10 feet in height. ‘Catawba’ has violet purple flowersand red orange fall color. Flower color for ‘CREC-0001’ is more purplethan either parent. This new plant has unique flower color contained ina medium to large growing crapemyrtle. The combination of ‘CREC-0001’smedium to dark purple flower color and medium to large growth habitdistinguishes it from all other crapemyrtle cultivars known to theinventors.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The color photographs of FIG. 1 through FIG. 4 illustrate the overallappearance and unique characteristic of medium to dark purple flowercolor of the new crapemyrtle cultivar ‘CREC-0001’. The photographs weretaken using conventional techniques and, although colors may appeardifferent from actual colors due to light reflectance, the new plant andits colors are shown as true and accurately as reasonably possible byconventional photographic techniques. Colors in the photographs maydiffer from the actual colors and values in the description of the newcrapemyrtle plant due to light conditions and other factors. Thephotographs and the detailed description of the invention are intendedto illustrate further the invention and its advantages.

FIG. 1 is a color photograph of the new crapemyrtle ‘CREC-0001’ taken atPoplarville, Miss. that shows the flower and leaf color of the newcultivar.

FIG. 2 is a color photograph of the new crapemyrtle ‘CREC-0001’ taken atPoplarville, Miss. that shows the flower and leaf color of the newcultivar.

FIG. 3 is a color photograph of the new crapemyrtle ‘CREC-0001’ taken atPoplarville, Miss. that illustrates leaf and stem color of the newplant.

FIG. 4 is a color photograph of the new crapemyrtle ‘CREC-0001’ taken atPoplarville, Miss. that illustrates leaf and stem color of the newplant.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION OF THE VARIETY

Latin name: Lagerstroemia×‘CREC-0001’

Lagerstroemia: L. indica×L. fauriei×L. limii. ‘Tonto’×Lagerstroemiaindica ‘Catawba’

Cultivar denomination: ‘CREC-0001’

The present invention is a novel Lagerstroemia×‘CREC-0001’ cultivarknown as ‘CREC-0001’ that is different from other crapemyrtle cultivars.

TON×CAT 0001 Row 01—Replication 1—Plant# 1 in Rep. McNeill planting.

The following is a detailed botanical description of the characteristicsof the new Lagerstroemia crapemyrtle cultivar known as ‘CREC-0001’,based on observations of the plant grown at Poplarville, Miss., andunder similar conditions to those for growing these plants commercially.‘CREC-0001’ has been observed under many but not all possibleenvironmental conditions. Color notations of plant tissues are basedupon The Royal Horticultural Society (R.H.S.) Colour Chart, 2001Edition. Color notations may have been slightly affected by lightquality and fertility and general plant growth. Certain characteristicswill vary depending on the age of the plants so that dimensions, sizes,and colors are approximations or averages since the cultivar has notbeen observed under every possible environmental condition. Thereforethe phenotype of the cultivar may differ from the descriptions dependingupon environmental variations including, but not limited to, the season,temperatures, day lengths, light direction and quality, andfertilization, as well as other factors.

The present invention is a Lagerstroemia hybrid resulting from the crossof Lagerstroemia: L. indica×L. fauriei×L. limii. ‘Tonto’ (femaleparent)×Lagerstroemia indica ‘Catawba’ (male parent). The stem color ofthis new plant is Royal Horticultural Society (R.H.S.) Colour ChartGroup 176-A. The average total height is 8.0 feet, soil to first branchaverage is 15.0 inches, and the first branch to tip average is 66.8inches. The average caliper at 6 inches is 0.79 inches, average stemlength at 3 inches is 57.00 inches, and the average yearly growth is49.40 inches. The average stem caliper at 3 inches is 0.53 inches andthe average internode length is 1.55 inches, although internode lengthsare subjective since they depend on factors such as sun exposure,nutrition, pruning, and the like. Stem texture is smooth to exfoliating.The leaf top color is R.H.S. Colour Chart Group 138-A. The flower petalcolor is medium to dark purple (R.H.S. Colour Chart Group N78-A). Thisnew plant is a crapemyrtle with unique purple flower color that may beused as a specimen in landscapes where crapemyrtles are traditionallyused. This crapemyrtle plant will be in the fifteen plus (15+) footrange for growth. Currently, not many crapemyrtles exist that are“medium to dark purples” and that are in this growth range known to theinventors.

FIGS. 1 and 2 show the flower color and the leaf color of the newcultivar. FIG. 3 shows the leaf color and stem color of the newcultivar. FIG. 4 shows the leaf color and stem color of the new plant.

The final height and width of the plant have not been observed.Three-year plants in the research facility are greater than fifteen (15)feet tall and approximately 6 to 8 feet wide, forming a multiple orsingle trunk large crapemyrtle. The new plant has outer mature barkcolor in the greyed-green group in R.H.S. Colour Chart Group 196-A andinner mature bark color in the grey-brown group in R.H.S. Colour ChartGroup 199-A. New stem growth is in the green group in R.H.S. ColourChart Group 139-C. It can possibly be grown as a medium to large shrubin climates where shoot growth is killed to the ground each winter. Itsfoliage comprises glossy green leaves that are opposite and that areapproximately from 2.50 to 3.00 inches in length and from 1.00 to 1.50inches in width. The leaf top color is R.H.S. Colour Chart Group 138-A.The leaf underside color is R.H.S. Colour Chart Group 146-A. The leaftype is simple and is persistent and deciduous. The leaf margin isentire and the leaf venation is pinnate. The leaf apex is acute toslightly elliptical, the leaf base is rounded, and the overall shape isovate to elliptical. New leaf color is in the green group in R.H.S.Colour Chart Group 138-A and the new leaf mid-vein color is in the greengroup in R.H.S. Colour Chart Group 138-B. The stem is rather slenderwith a slightly angular shape with prominent wings when young and around shape when growth is more mature. The new plant is a deciduous,summer-flowering plant, so that fall color has been inconsequential. Theplant has shown insect and disease tolerance comparable to the parentsunder field conditions.

The flowers are perfect, 6-petaled and each flower is approximately 1.30inches in diameter. The flowers are medium to dark purple and are mosttypically visible from early June to late August depending onenvironmental conditions. Flower color represents the closest impressionof the entire florescence. Individual florets are very small, so theoverall impression is the observed characteristic. The flower petalcolor is R.H.S. Colour Chart Group N78-A. The flowers have mediumtapered panicles. The flower panicle is approximately 9 to 11 incheslong. The unopened flower capsule color is R.H.S. Colour Chart Group59-A. When the flowers fade, they generally fade to lighter shades ofpurple, lavender, or light blue, and not to pink or red tones.

The fruit is comprised of seed pods that are dark green in color turningto brown, a mature seed pod color that is R.H.S. Colour Chart Group144-A. The fruit is a broad-ellipsoidal 6-valved dehiscent capsule,brown in color in R.H.S. Colour Chart Group 144-A, approximately ½ of aninch wide. Seeds are approximately ⅜ to ½ of an inch long and winged.The pistil color is R.H.S. Colour Chart Group 14-A. A woody capsulegenerally persists on the panicle until late winter. Cold testing in thelaboratory for cold hardiness has not yet been completed for the newcultivar. Plants had just begun to exhibit the exfoliating barkcharacteristics common to crapemyrtles at the time of observation.

Rooting of the new medium to large-sized crapemyrtle is easilyaccomplished, making the plant excellent for production purposes, andsuch rooted plants are identical to the original. The novelty of theplant includes its medium to dark purple flower color (R.H.S. ColourChart Group N78-A) and its medium to large size. ‘CREC-0001’ may be usedas a specimen in landscapes where crapemyrtles are traditionally used.The new crapemyrtle plant will be in the fifteen plus (15+) foot rangefor growth. Currently, not many crapemyrtles exist that are this “mediumto dark purple” color and that are in the medium to large crapemyrtlegroup growth range.

As will be apparent to those skilled in horticultural science, the newand distinct crapemyrtle plant cultivar described herein may vary inminor detail due to climatic, soil, and cultural conditions under whichthe variety may be grown, as well as the stage of growth.

What is claimed is:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of crapemyrtleLagerstroemia hybrid plant named ‘CREC-0001’, substantially as hereinillustrated and described.